Improvement in pump-pistons



Quim] tetes ste-nt @frn F. A. CRAMBLI'IT, OF PETROLEUM CENTRE,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND JOSEPH R. DIOKEY.

Letters Patent'No. 67,417, dated August (3', 1867.

IMPRGVEMBNT 1N PUMP-Bierens.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONOERN:

Be it known thatv I, Il'. A. CRAMBLITT, of Petroleum Centre, inthecounty of Venango, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Pistons for operating pumps in oil, salt,artesian, or other deep wells; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being-had tothe accompanyeg drawings, making a partof this specification, in which-Figure 1 is an outside view 'of my improved piston, and

Figure 2 represents a ver/tical s *tion passing longitudinally throughits axis.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts.

The nature of my invention ccnsists in the construction ofitself-packing piston for operating oil, salt, artesian, or other wellsof considerable depth. Such wells are commonly of small bore, and when'at all productive are filled with a. column of oil or water, or both.The obstacles which chiefly prevent the successful operation in suchwells of the pistons ordinarily employed, consist in the greatdifficulty of packing a piston, so that when operated Anear the bottomof such well, and under a column of water or oil of from one hundred Vtoone thousand or more feet in height, it will Work successfully,V and thepacking not require frequent renewal in consequence of the wear and tearto which it is subject. Such a piston must be so constructed andprovided with auch packing in order to be successful that it can easilybe sunk to the place in the tubing where it'is to be operated,wl'latever map be the depth, and must possess sullicieut strength, andwork with sufficient tightness to sustain and carry up with its upwardstroke whatever oil or water may be above, and draw up a fresh supply,if need be, for the next upward stroke, 'and all this with theleast'possible liability to get out of order.

'lo enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, Iwill proceed more particularly to describe its construction and mode ofoperation. i

In manufacturing I employ any known materials in general use adapted tothe purposes hereinafter to be designated. l v

a is a portion ofthe piston-rod, and by the thimble I) is connected withother rods leading 'to the top or mouth'of the well, though other modesofjointing may be used, if preferred. Commonly I cut a screwthread, a onthe lower end of the rod a, for convenience in raising or lowering thestand-box,idrawing tubing, etc. The upper end of the rod a plays througha hole or aperture in the arch c, and'its lower end through the invertedarch c. Attached to the lower and upper ends of the arches c and crespectively are the barrels d and d'. Their outer diameters being equalto or slightly less than the inner diameter of the well-tubinglor Ipnmpbarrel in which they work. The lower and upper ends of the barrels d UZrespectively are reamed out suihciently to make room for the ends of thepacking-pipe or sleeve e, which make usually of leather or other exiblematerial. The ends of the packing-sleeve e are screwed into or otherwisesecured beneathkor inside the lower and upper ends of the barrels d andd respectively, and held firmly between 'them and the inner pipes f andf', which latter are screwed into the heads of the barrelsd and d',screw-threads, as shown in the drawings, being properly 4cut for suchpurposes. The other ends of the pipcsf andf are made toit one into theother loosely, so as to allow the oil or water in the well tofiow outbetween su'ch ends and` fill the empty space s between them and thepacking-sleeve e, or if there be no such empty space, to press againstthe inner surface of the packing sleeve at that point, and force it intoclose contact with the tubing of the well..

The several parts are screwed together, as described, and in such a waythat the ends of the packingisleeve e shall be securely held between thebarrels d d and the pipesff respectively; also, so that the end'm of onepipefshali. be distant about one-half or ivc-eighths of an inch, more orless,l from the shoulder m of the other pipef, thus allowing room forslight play to the upperbarrel cl and 'pipef, both working loosely onthe roda. The ends mand 'n of the pipesf andfl must also be so fitted oradjusted to cach other as to permit the oil or water in the well to flowout between them against the packingsleeve c, as above mentioned.Attached to the rodV a, bet'wcen the inverted arch c and the head of thebarrel d', is a bucket, o, ofl suc-h diameter and so fitted that whenwith the upward stroke it comes rrainst the head of the barrel c, itwill make a joint therewith nearly or quite watertight. l

The mode of operating the devices thus desnibed is simple: The Vpistonthus constructed is sunk to the point desired, and by piston-rodsattached to an engine o r other machine for communicating power at themouth of the'well; The upward stroke carries, the bncket'o upward, so asto close the aperture of the pipef, and thereby prevent the con-tents ofthe well from passingdownward vthrough the piston as 'he piston rises.The upward movement of the pistonrod a then carries the whole 'pistonup, and the oil or wateresc-aping outward between the eu'ds m and n ofthe pipesfandf, presses the packing-sleeve c against the tubing of thcwell, and rendersit a tight packing. The upper half of the piston hassufficient play to fall 4slightly as the packinglsleeve e expands. Theends o f the packing-sleve vbeing securely fastened, as above described,no oi'l or water can escape downward through the piston, and the entirecontents of the well necessarily are carried upward, causing therequired discharge from the mouth of the well. The thimble I) is soadjusted on the piston-rod a that the thimble b will strike the top ofthe arch e with the downward stroke of the piston, nearly or exactly atthe same time that the bucket o strikes the top of they inverted archc', so as to carry theavhole piston down at once and prevent allpossibility of the separation of the two halves of the pstomaiidconsequently remove all danger of either end of the packing-sleeve ebeing drawn out of its socket. A collar encompassing the roda at thatpoint may take the place of the thimble b. As a further security againstthe packing-,sleeve e working loose While the piston is being lowered oroperated, I fasten it to the barrels d d and pipes ff', by pegs or pinsua running through holes u u drilled for the purpose, and also'throughthe packing-sleeve e, near its ends. Co'nmon shoe pegs are usually.sufcient for this purpose. The sleeve e cannot then be unscrewed, andthe two 'coils of the piston are prevented from separating sufficientlyto enable it to be drawn out; .The upper half ofthe piston has playenough to allow the packing-sleeve c to be pressed out as described, butnot enough to allow it to be crumpled down or wrinkled. I thus secure apiston packing, convenient-,- tight, scliacting, and not liable to getout of. order, land as the friction of the outer face of the flexiblepacking-sleeve e against. the tubing of the well is inconsiderable, thepacking thus described is exceedingly durable, and when worn out can beeasily renewed. s the two halves ofthe piston thus constructed arecounterparts to each other, thc piston lmay be reversed on thepiston-rod a in case the lower end of the piston should become worn orinjured so as not to make a suliiciently tight joint with the bucket o.i Y

Numerous variations of form may be introduced in the devices abovedescribed, without seriously injuring their practical working. What Iclaim as new, and as the essential features of my invention, in additionto certain combinations of devices, some of which devices are already inuse, is substantially as follows: The making of the two ends of thepiston separate, so that one or both may have suicientvertical play toadmit of the outward expansion of the packing-sleeve e; also, so fittingthe ends of such half pistons to cach other as to. leave room betweenthem, or make holes or slots through them, so that the oil or water inthe piston may pass out, and by its pressure slightly expand theflexible packing-sleeves, and make it press snugly against the tubing ofthe well or the pump-barrel in which it is worked; also, providing sucha piston with a packing-sleeve of leather or other iierxible material,the endsof which shall beso secured to the upper and lower halves of thepiston described as to make therewith tight working joints, and makingthe two ends of the piston counterparts to .each other, so as to securea reversible piston. i

I claim, furthermore, the mode of packing above described by apacking-sleeve, e, of leather or other ilexible material adapted to suchuses, as applied to all pistons for operating deep wells, not only whensuch pistons are made in halves, as hereinbefore set forth, but alsowhen they are made, as I sometimes make them, with the `barrels d dconnected by a single pipe or-tube. In such case I make slotsor holesthrough such pipe or tube about midway between its two endsfthroughwhich the water or oil in the pump may pass out against the innersurface of the sleeve e, substantially as above described, and for thesame purposes. The mode of using the packing-sleeve c, in connectionlwith such single tube, and the mode of securing its ends to the barrelscl d does not vary materially from those above described.

What Iclaim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. vMaking in separate parts the two ends of a piston for operating'pumps. in oil, salt, artesian, or other deep wells, and attaching suchparts to the piston-rod in such a 'way that one or both may havesufficient vertical play on the rod'to admit of the outward expansion orbulging of the piston packing, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed. I

2. Fitting the contiguous ends of such half piston to each other, so asto leave room between them for the oil or water in the piston to passout against and expand or bulge the piston packing, substantially. asand for purposes above set forth.

3. Packing apiston for deep-well pumps by apacking-sleeve of leather, orother flexible material, in such a `way that the ends of such sleeveshall be securely fastened beneath the outer surface of the upper andlower ends of such piston, so as to make therewith tight working joints,substantially in the manner and for the purposes above specified.

4. Making the half piston described counterparts of each otherl so as tosecure a reversible piston,'sub stantially as and for the purposesdescribed. l

In testimony whereof I, the said F. A. CRAMBLITT, have hereunto s'et myhand in presence of F. A. CRAMBLITT.

Witnesses:

Guo. H. CHRISTY, A. S. NICHOLSON.

